下午
xiàwǔ
The English phrase "pm" is translated into Chinese as 下午 (xiàwǔ).
下午 is an abbreviation used to indicate the time from noon until midnight.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, the time indicator 下午 is placed before the specific hour, rather than after it as in English.
How do you pronounce it?
xiàwǔ
Did you know?
- The character 下 in 下午 means 'down' or 'below', while 午 refers to the horse. This creates a visual concept of the time following the peak of the day.
- In traditional Chinese timekeeping, the day was divided into twelve two-hour periods. The 午 in 下午 specifically refers to the period between 11 am and 1 pm.
- While 下午 means 'afternoon', Chinese uses a separate term 晚上 for 'evening' once the sun sets. This means 下午 typically covers the period from 12 pm until roughly 6 pm.
Examples in context
- 2月28號下午3點怎麼樣？How about February 28th around 3:00 pm?This sentence shows how to use 下午 when suggesting a specific time.Tatoeba #10323875 by DaoSeng, translation #1454515 by CN
- 我通常从上午九点工作到下午五点，但是今天晚上我十点才下班。I usually work from 9 AM to 5 PM, but today I worked until 10 PM.This sentence demonstrates how to use 下午 when describing a work schedule.Tatoeba #3695352 by trieuho, translation #3695353 by trieuho
- 我希望我们能在下午三点开会。I hope we can have the meeting at 3 PM.
- 明天下午我们一起去咖啡店喝咖啡吧！Let's go grab some coffee at the café tomorrow afternoon!
- 下午两点半有个会议。Xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn yǒu gè huìyì.There is a meeting at 2:30 pm.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a meeting time in the office.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，下午三点你有空吗？Zhìqiáng, xiàwǔ sān diǎn nǐ yǒu kòng ma?Zhiqiang, are you free at 3 pm?
- 志强 Zhiqiang三点不行，我那时候很忙。Sān diǎn bù xíng, wǒ nà shíhou hěn máng.3 pm doesn't work, I am very busy then.
- 梓涵 Zihan那下午四点呢？Nà xiàwǔ sì diǎn ne?How about 4 pm then?
- 志强 Zhiqiang下午四点可以，没问题。Xiàwǔ sì diǎn kěyǐ, méi wèntí.4 pm is fine, no problem.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
